Leaving Your Legacy

Legacy Systems Replacement Project Details

If you can share your first hand knowledge of one or more COMPLETED legacy systems replacement projects, your participation in this survey would be tremendously appreciated.

In support of the upcoming publication of Leaving Your Legacy - The Legacy Systems Replacement Handbook, we are collecting data to identify opportunities to continue to improve understanding of how best to replace or modernize legacy information systems.

The survey is one page long. Once you have completed the nine questions on this page, please click the "Submit Response" button. If you have worked on more than one legacy systems replacement project, it would be of great help if you would provide details for each replacement project. To enter data for additional projects, simply open the survey as many times as required.

If you would like a copy of the results of this survey, please email us at: info@digitalhero.com

A free download of Chapter 1 of the Legacy Systems Replacement Handbook can be found here

Did the project involve informations systems operated within the public sector?

Did the project involve informations systems operated within the public sector? Yes

Did the project involve informations systems operated within the public sector? No

Did the project involve informations systems operated within the public sector? Don't Know or N.A.

Did the project involve informations systems operated within the private sector?

Did the project involve informations systems operated within the private sector? Yes

Did the project involve informations systems operated within the private sector? No

Did the project involve informations systems operated within the private sector? Don't Know or N.A.

Did some, or all of, the replacement system(s) get implemented?

Did some, or all of, the replacement system(s) get implemented? Yes

Did some, or all of, the replacement system(s) get implemented? No

Did some, or all of, the replacement system(s) get implemented? Don't Know or N.A.

Is all, or a significant portion of, the replacement system(s) still in use?

Is all, or a significant portion of, the replacement system(s) still in use? Yes

Is all, or a significant portion of, the replacement system(s) still in use? No

Is all, or a significant portion of, the replacement system(s) still in use? Don't Know or N.A.

Were some, or all, of the legacy systems decommissioned or retired?

Were some, or all, of the legacy systems decommissioned or retired? Yes

Were some, or all, of the legacy systems decommissioned or retired? No

Were some, or all, of the legacy systems decommissioned or retired? Don't Know or N.A.

Were agile software development practices used in a significant way?

Were agile software development practices used in a significant way? Yes

Were agile software development practices used in a significant way? No

Were agile software development practices used in a significant way? Don't Know or N.A.

Were agile project management practices used in a significant way?

Were agile project management practices used in a significant way? Yes

Were agile project management practices used in a significant way? No

Were agile project management practices used in a significant way? Don't Know or N.A.

Was requirements management software used to manage the creation, versioning, approval, and traceability of requirements, as contrasted with using general purpose word processing or spreadsheet tools?

Was requirements management software used to manage the creation, versioning, approval, and traceability of requirements, as contrasted with using general purpose word processing or spreadsheet tools? Yes

Was requirements management software used to manage the creation, versioning, approval, and traceability of requirements, as contrasted with using general purpose word processing or spreadsheet tools? No

Was requirements management software used to manage the creation, versioning, approval, and traceability of requirements, as contrasted with using general purpose word processing or spreadsheet tools? Don't Know or N.A.

If necessary, please clarify your responses. Consider providing a project name to allow multiple responses from different respondents to be aggregated.

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2.Please select each of the five year periods during which this replacement project occurred. Please choose all that apply.

Before 1990

1990 to 1995

1995 to 2000

2000 to 2005

2005 to 2010

2010 to 2015

After 2015

Don't know

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3.Did the requirements for the information systems include highly specialized functionality and business rules (e.g. for a "niche" line-of-business)? Or were the requirements more standardized in nature, possible following generally accepted practices or standards (e.g. a "vanilla" financial system)? Please choose only one answer.

The majority of the requirements were highly specialized, or niche

The majority of the requirements were fairly standardized

There was a balance between highly specialized and standardized requirements

Don't know

If necessary, please clarify your response.

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4.In thinking about the approach taken to replacing the legacy system(s) with a to-be (e.g. "target") solution, which of the following were part of the to-be application architecture? Please choose all that apply.

Entire open source software systems were acquired - this might include buying a commercial-off-the-shelf (e.g. "COTS") financial and procurement system, or buying a COTS niche line-of-business system

Packaged commercial components that would be integrated were bought - this might include content or document management systems, business process management and workflow platforms, business intelligence or analytics tools, etc

Open source components that would be integrated were acquired - this might include content or document management systems, business process management and workflow platforms, business intelligence or analytics tools, etc

Elements of the target solution were built from scratch (e.g. building all or a significant part of the target solution)

Elements of the legacy systems were enhanced, or modernized, and formed part of the target solution going foward

Don't know

Please comment on why the specific replacement approach was chosen. Please list any primary drivers for this decision. As an example, was there a mandate / preference to choose, or to not choose, open source solutions. Also, if you are willing, please comment on the main steps that were followed in your formal decision making process.

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5.If the target solution included packaged software systems (e.g. either COTS or open source), to what extent was the packaged software modified to meet requirements, in contrast with simply using the software out-of-the-box. Please choose only one answer.

The packaged software was used out-of-the-box

The packaged software was used largely out-of-the-box - but some minimal configuration was required

The packaged software was used largely out-of-the-box - but some minimal custom code was written to modify the software

The packaged software required moderate modification - either by configuration or customization

The packaged software required extensive modification - either by configuration or customization

Don't know / N.A.

If necessary, please clarify your response. For example, where multiple software packages were involved, and differing approaches were taken for each of them. Did the amount of modification ultimately completed exceed what was anticipated?

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6.Please provide details for the original budget and the actual cost of the replacement project. For standardization purposes, please use United States dollars as the currency (USD).

Less than two million dollars

Two million to ten million dollars

Ten million to 30 million dollars

Greater than 30 million dollars

Don't Know or N.A.

What was the size of the original budget for the replacement project?

What was the size of the original budget for the replacement project? Less than two million dollars

What was the size of the original budget for the replacement project? Two million to ten million dollars

What was the size of the original budget for the replacement project? Ten million to 30 million dollars

What was the size of the original budget for the replacement project? Greater than 30 million dollars

What was the size of the original budget for the replacement project? Don't Know or N.A.

If the project completed successfully, how much money was actually spent on the replacement project until it was completed?

If the project completed successfully, how much money was actually spent on the replacement project until it was completed? Less than two million dollars

If the project completed successfully, how much money was actually spent on the replacement project until it was completed? Two million to ten million dollars

If the project completed successfully, how much money was actually spent on the replacement project until it was completed? Ten million to 30 million dollars

If the project completed successfully, how much money was actually spent on the replacement project until it was completed? Greater than 30 million dollars

If the project completed successfully, how much money was actually spent on the replacement project until it was completed? Don't Know or N.A.

If the project was unsuccessful, how much money was actually spent on the replacement project until it was terminated?

If the project was unsuccessful, how much money was actually spent on the replacement project until it was terminated? Less than two million dollars

If the project was unsuccessful, how much money was actually spent on the replacement project until it was terminated? Two million to ten million dollars

If the project was unsuccessful, how much money was actually spent on the replacement project until it was terminated? Ten million to 30 million dollars

If the project was unsuccessful, how much money was actually spent on the replacement project until it was terminated? Greater than 30 million dollars

If the project was unsuccessful, how much money was actually spent on the replacement project until it was terminated? Don't Know or N.A.

If necessary, please clarify your responses.

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7.Please provide details for the original project schedule and the actual achieved timelines for the replacement project.

Less than one year

One year to three years

Three years to five years

Greater than five years

Don't Know or N.A.

What was the originally planned duration from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to completion of the final target system go-live?

What was the originally planned duration from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to completion of the final target system go-live? Less than one year

What was the originally planned duration from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to completion of the final target system go-live? One year to three years

What was the originally planned duration from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to completion of the final target system go-live? Three years to five years

What was the originally planned duration from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to completion of the final target system go-live? Greater than five years

What was the originally planned duration from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to completion of the final target system go-live? Don't Know or N.A.

If the project concluded successfully, what was the actual achieved duration from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to completion of the final target system go-live?

If the project concluded successfully, what was the actual achieved duration from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to completion of the final target system go-live? Less than one year

If the project concluded successfully, what was the actual achieved duration from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to completion of the final target system go-live? One year to three years

If the project concluded successfully, what was the actual achieved duration from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to completion of the final target system go-live? Three years to five years

If the project concluded successfully, what was the actual achieved duration from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to completion of the final target system go-live? Greater than five years

If the project concluded successfully, what was the actual achieved duration from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to completion of the final target system go-live? Don't Know or N.A.

If the project was unsuccessful and was terminated early, what was the actual time spent from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to when the project was terminated?

If the project was unsuccessful and was terminated early, what was the actual time spent from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to when the project was terminated? Less than one year

If the project was unsuccessful and was terminated early, what was the actual time spent from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to when the project was terminated? One year to three years

If the project was unsuccessful and was terminated early, what was the actual time spent from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to when the project was terminated? Three years to five years

If the project was unsuccessful and was terminated early, what was the actual time spent from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to when the project was terminated? Greater than five years

If the project was unsuccessful and was terminated early, what was the actual time spent from project initiation (e.g. project proposal, business case and funding) to when the project was terminated? Don't Know or N.A.

If necessary, please clarify your responses.

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8.Based on recored measurements of the target solution being operated in the organization's production environment, to what extent were the benefits promised when the legacy replacement project was approved, ever actually realized?

No benefits were ever formally promised (e.g. there were no explicit benefits stated in a Business Case)

The target solution allowed the organization to realize all of the promised benefits

The target solution allowed the organization to realize more than 80% of the promised benefits

The target solution allowed the organization to realize more than half of the promised benefits

The target solution allowed the organization to realize less than half of the promised benefits

The target solution realized zero promised benefits

After the replacement project concluded there was never any measurement of realized benefits

The target solution was never implemented

Don't know

If necessary, please clarify our response.

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9.Please provide any closing comments on the greatest reasons this replacement project succeeded or failed.